Halo: Hailstorm
by Derek's world
Summary: Diving feet first into the Covenant cruiser hanging over New Mombasa was psychotic, but thrilling. But the sudden slip-space jump into deep space was not something Bryant had prepared for. Now his team of ODSTs lead the charge under the ambitious Miranda Keyes to retrieve the key to the super-weapon Delta Halo. Easy enough. It only took a super soldier in shielded armour last time.
1. Chapter 1

Halo: Hailstorm

Chapter 1

Location: Orbit above New Mombasa

Time: 2552 (Mid Halo 2, runs parallel to Halo 3 ODST)

The bird's eye view of the city was beautiful. Skyscrapers stood tall, monuments, in a cloudless blue sky. The sun beamed down on the shining palace of New Mombasa. It was truly a sight to behold, even with the Covenant Carrier hovering menacingly overhead.

Michael Bryant longed to stroll through the streets of the grand city on such a gorgeous day. His father had taken him to Earth only once as a child to visit this very city. "Long ago, man took his first steps on the very dirt you are standing on." His father had said. "Right here?" The six year old had replied stomping his feet." "Yes my boy," he chuckled lightly. "We must never forget where we came from." The tall man took a knee bringing him eye level with the young boy. "This, our kingdom, connects us all and though man has conquered even the stars, his home, his heart, will always be right here."

A blaringly loud alert woke Bryant from his nostalgia. Lord Hood had called several Orbital Drop Shock Trooper squadrons to the briefing room. Bryant closed the city surveillance camera feed and reached for his helmet.

"Ready to rock B?" A familiar voice called out followed by a swift jab to the arm. The blow belonged to Gunnery Seargent Edward Buck, the leader of another ODST squadron: Alpha 9. Buck and Bryant had developed quite the rivalry in their day as ODST trainees. Every victory spurring the other to do better until they were competing for the top of the class...which Buck took. Bryant had congratulated Buck on his victory slightly dismayed at the outset, but nevertheless proud of his fellow ODST. "Don't tell me you've given up yet Bryant! The real battle has just begun!" They both laughed at the gesture but knew deep down that it wasn't a game anymore.

"Always ready Buck. It's you I'm worried about."

"Oh yea?" He replied raising an eyebrow.

"Yea, I'm afraid all of that glory might have gone to your head."

"Are you two at it again?" A third voice chimed in. Adrian Thomas, the third squadron leader to be briefed on their upcoming mission. Adrian had also known Buck for quite some time throughout their training. With towering height and a build like an Olympic god, the ODST could have easily been mistaken for a Spartan. As a matter of fact, it happened quite often. A running inside joke between his friends ensured that the truth remained an uncertainty, meaning neither Adrian nor his friends ever had to fight over table space or the choice meals in the dining hall.

"I was just telling B. Here that you can't blame the suits for recognizing a man who..." Buck paused and launched an empty soda bottle throwing knife style into a nearby trash can. "...always hits his mark." Buck winked at him and then looked to Adrian before both of the men simultaneously burst into laughter. Bryant offered a smirk and rolled his eyes defeated. It was a story they knew all too well.

**FLASHBACK**

Several years ago, Buck led a team featuring Adrian and Bryant. Bryant had temporarily filled an open position on the team while Adrian had served as a stand in for an injured member named Dutch. Dutch was a tough guy but any man who took on three Jackals in hand to hand combat simultaneously was asking for trouble. The ordeal had cost the man two cracked ribs and a fractured wrist. Despite his protest, the doctors ordered that he take some recovery time.

Romeo and Mickey, Buck's other two teammates weren't exactly thrilled about the temporary replacement, as both Bryant and Adrian outranked them both, but then again they didn't really have a say in the matter either.

The mission was simple: quietly infiltrate an abandoned UNSC lab and download some data files essential to decrypting Covenant network chatter. The data would make it that much easier for Cortana, the UNSC's favored AI, to decipher Covenant communications. The lab itself was located in the ruins of a small city and held no strategic or tactical value. As the Covenant could not effectively hold the base and the UNSC could not effectively reclaim the base, the battle had resulted in a stalemate. Buck's team, Alpha 9, including the two replacements, were waiting as the files slowly transferred when things took an unusual turn.

"What's it at now Mickey?"

"A whopping 4%" Mickey grumbled.

"Jeez what is it running? 21st century technology? So much for modern advances."

Mickey sat on his rear and leaned his helmet against one of the broken desks in the battle scarred lab.

"It'll be another 15-20 before the system can establish a decent connection with our network and verify our ID. Once the connection is made things should speed up."

"We might as well be sitting on a blanket and covered in barbecue sauce. You know it's only a matter of time right? They can smell us."

"Only the big ones can smell us." Bryant offered.

"What a comforting thought." Romeo retorted.

"Got it!" Mickey exclaimed. The computer produced a solid hum followed by several encouraging beeps.

"...and look at that it jumped straight to 17%!"

"Whoop-Dee-freakin-doo" Romeo replied sarcastically.

"There's just no pleasing yo.." Mickey began.

Buck raised a hand and the room fell silent. Bryant and Adrian took a step forward, while Romeo armed his sniper rifle and moved to cover Mickey. The structure gave no reply. And then Bryant heard it. Off in the distance, footsteps, and they were getting closer. He strained, was it an enemy squadron? No. It didn't sound like marching. It was more like a dog digging through trash. A very big dog.

It moved through the halls closer and closer Bryant heard doors ripped from their hinges as the ..whatever it was searched the rest of the compound.

"20 credits says it's a split-jaw." Romeo whispered.

"Nahh, it's a temper tantrum." Adrian challenged.

"Zip it!" Buck took a stance closest to the door and pumped his shotgun.

Split jaw referred to the elites of the Covenant battle alliance a race of tall and slender bipedal aliens with a mouth that split into 4 seperate but equally hideous jaws as the nickname suggested. They all seemed bound by an unwaveringly annoying sense of honor. Graceful, tactical and precise, the elites were fierce and calculating foes. "Tempered tantrum" referred to the another species in the Covenant, the Brutes. Brutes were large half gorilla, half bear, all alien masses of fur and muscle. What they usually lacked in mental capability was more than made up for in physical strength The nickname came from their tendency to get frustrated and lose their composure when things didn't go their way during a battle. This could be good or bad. Good if it broke the enemy's strategy and exposed weaknesses, bad if you were anywhere nearby. It was not uncommon for the beasts to rip their opponents apart using their bare hands or quite literally beat them into a mess of gore.

The footsteps were now miniature tremors outside of the room. Bryant secretly sided with Adrian. He knew his stuff. The door flew off the hinges as the pursuer charged into the room with the force of a charging rhinoceros. Buck fired his shotgun, but the door, which had came with the intruder took most of the damage and the rest was absorbed by alien armor. He dove to the side to avoid being trampled. The monster crashed into a nearby counter detaching the bolts that held it to the floor like staples from paper.

The hulking creature shook off the debris and turned to face its prey, a murderous glint in its devilish red eyes.

Usually you had to piss them off first.

Hello all! I am new to the fan fiction world and am using this story to test out my abilities as a writer. Please feel free to let me know what you think! 


	2. Chapter 1 (continued)

Alpha 9 wasted no time with a reply. A shower of bullets rained on the massive beast. Unfortunately, the Brutes armour although faded and outdated still maintained a fully functional shielding system, rendering the assault ineffective.

Bryant dove behind a rusty generator to reload as the Brute drew 2 Spiker guns. Bryant felt the impact of spikes burying themselves on the opposite side of the generator. He kept an eye on the bottom left corner of his VISR HUD; as he reached for another magazine.

An exasperated sigh left his lips as the mag slid into place. Bryant peered over the top of the generator and immediately hit the floor as seven more spikes lodged themselves in the wall behind his head.

"Jeez!"

"Focus fire and disarm," Buck shouted and then over private comms,

"Romeo stay silent, cover Mickey. Do not give away your position. Mickey how much longer?"

"We're at 65%!"

"Reloading! Bryant get ready! Adrian!"

Adrian held the attention of the monster now. His suppressed assault rifle pounded the Brute, keeping it temporarily immobilized, its belt fell to the floor scattering its grenades and extra mags on the floor. The beast bellowed in protest but eventually lost its grip on one of the guns. Buck saw what he was going for and drew his silenced pistol as well. Three shots rang out and the other Spiker fractured and broke.

"You two form u-" Buck began.

In a burst of fury and speed, the beast lunged toward Adrian and uppercutted him square in the stomach. The blow sent Adrian flying backwards. He crashed to the floor and lay there motionless.

"Adrian!" Bryant cried.

Buck fired his shotgun and Bryant moved in close firing from cover to cover in quick bursts until he was just a few feet in front of the target. The Brute took a step back and Bryant moved in for the kill releasing his entire clip on the Brute at a fatally close range.

"Not too close!" Buck shouted, lowering his shotgun to avoid spraying Bryant with buckshot.

Just a little bit more, Bryant thought to himself. If he could just..

BANG! With a crackle of electricity. The shielding system failed and several bullets impacted the monster's raw flesh between its golden armor plating. It let out a howl of pain followed by a swift backhand to to Bryant's SMG sending it flying. Bryant stumbled backward and tripped over an alien clip, hitting the floor hard. The offender now hovering over him menacingly let out an ear-splitting roar spraying the ODST's visor with saliva.

"Yuck." Bryant sighed. "What a way to go out." He leaned as the Brute raised its enormous foot.

"Gunny..." Romeo said. Bryant recognized Buck's nickname and hoped the man could maintain his position, neither Romeo nor Mickey need share in his fatal mistake.

Buck did not like the way this was going. Normally he'd have Romeo take the shot, but if the Brute didn't drop from the first shot. His and Mickey's positions would be compromised. If the beast damaged any of the equipment the mission was a bust. That couldn't happen. Even without shielding, Brutes were known to withstand high caliber rounds thanks to whatever alien metal armour they wore; and their anatomy could be..unpredictable, not to mention their fur insulated hides. Buck and Bryant had to end this now. Without involving Romeo or Mickey.

"CRACK!" The shot rang out and the monster howled clutching its shoulder.

"Damn it Romeo!"

Purple blood oozed from the wound and soaked the floor.

Romeo had mortally wounded the beast. That you could count on, however the time that it had left before it dropped dead from either loss of blood or heart failure, was more than enough for it to kill every single one of them.

The brute turned and faced his attacker. Bryant made an attempt to regain its attention and received a swift kick to the abdomen for his efforts. It was like a sledgehammer had hit his stomach. Oxygen abandoned his lungs and his vision grew hazy as he slid several meters away. The alien then turned and faced Romeo, who indiscreetly slinked back behind the broken desk.

"...do you think he saw me?"

Mickey shook his head and pointed to the trail of smoke leading up to the end of Romeo's rifle.

The sniper saw the evidence and hung his head. Both men leveled their weapons on the desk and opened fire.

The monster dove behind a desk to avoid the assault and looked up just in time to see Buck.

"CLICK-CLACK" went the pump. Bryant smiled. Buck had him.

The Brute clutched the desk in an attempt to stand. Or that's what it had looked like. In milliseconds the desk had gone from stationary to projectile. It soared through the air and hit its target and sent the man crashing into a mess of debris. Bryant's smiled faded. He reached for his sidearm. His heart dropped when it wasn't on his hip. There it lay next to the Brute's belt where he'd tripped.

The monster roared at the fallen Buck and turned his attention to the only two men who posed any threat at this point and began to charge. Not to mention its shields had recharged. Great.

Bryant desperately crawled toward his pistol.

The monster used the armour on its forearms to block the damage from Mickey's SMG, while now wise to the high caliber rounds opted to dodge Romeo's shots.

Brutes were not known to be this intelligent or cunning something didn't sit right with this situation.

"Reloading!" Romeo shouted

"Give me your spare!" Mickey shouted.

Romeo tossed Mickey his secondary and Mickey now holding two SMGs hit the Brute with double the firepower. The Brute slowed to a halt standing in place blocking the attack only steps away.

"Die already!" Mickey shouted.

The Brute's shielding flared and brightened but did not break.

Bryant really hoped this would work. He took one more breath and primed the Spike grenade. If it didn't, a very painful death awaited. That much was assured no matter how things played out. Hopefully, Mickey and Romeo could take advantage of the situation.

Spike grenades are a tricky business. They completely wreck any type of vehicle, but they're explosion usually missed individual targets. It was a high velocity shower of intensely sharp needles that could rip through just about anything but it was limited to a certain radius, much like a shotgun blast. That paired with the fact that it was thrown and not shot left for a lot of room for error.

A few deflected shots to the back of the head were enough to grab the Brute's attention and turn its back to Mickey who's assault had been rendered useless. It almost elected to ignore him. Almost. Bryant launched the grenade with all his might.

The monster dove to the floor and the grenade soared harmlessly over the monster. And stuck to the opposite wall...Behind Romeo and Mickey. The Brute roared with what appeared to be laughter.

"You've got to be kidd-" shouted Romeo.

"Hit the deck!" Mickey interrupted and shoved Romeo to the floor.

Bryant didn't have the luxury of ducking. The grip around his neck tightened as he was lifted from the ground. Oxygen left his lungs and his vision began to blacken. Just a little longer. Bryant fought the darkness. Surely someone would be able to..

KA-BOOM

The grenade went off sending spikes in a horizontal shower inches above Mickey, Romeo and the desk they were behind and up the length of the brutes backside. The beast let out a less than threatening cry of agony and grabbed at the spikes sticking in its hiney. Its grip loosened and Bryant collapsed to the floor. Buck seemed to come out of nowhere and used the opportunity to finally let his shotgun do the talking...right into the beast's torso. The monster did not recover from that one.

The men took a moment to collect themselves. The entire ordeal was a hairline from catastrophe. No sooner had Bryant regained his breath, Romeo lifted him by the collar. Really? Twice in one day? However Bryant didn't really mind it was gentle compared to the monster's chokehold.

"You..What the hell was that?!"

The most Bryant could muster was a groan.

"Romeo, relax.." Mickey began.

"Relax?! This bastard almost gave us 9 inch deep splinters! That was the worst throw ever! Of all time!"

"Not a fan of acupuncture, Romeo?" Bryant replied.

He probably should have kept his mouth shut but out of breath and barely conscious, he couldn't resist.

Buck caught Romeo's elbow as he raised pulled his fist back for a punch.

"Enough Romeo. It's done."

Bryant felt Romeo's grip loosen.

Buck glared at him. "..however reckless a decision it may have been."

He turned. "Mickey!"

Mickey looked up from his taskpad.

"Report!"

"Mission success sir. Cortana now speaks Covenantanese."

"Good, all accounted for? Adrian?" Buck turned.

Adrian sat hunched over the dead Brute clutching his side where he'd been struck.

"I've been trying to figure out why this Brute attacked by itself and in such an unorthodox fashion."

"He didn't seem to go for the usual tactics." Mickey added.

"His armor is peculiar. Not the standard Brute outfit or markings. See this one here?" Adrian gestured.

"It means, _left behind,_ _cast out,_ _abandoned,_ or something along those lines.."

"Haha he's a reject!" Romeo laughed kicking the corpse.

"Alpha 9 let's move." Buck finished.

*FLASHBACK END*

"Romeo almost broke your jaw!" Adrian laughed as the men continued down the hall.

Buck bellowed.

"You two are never gonna let that go are you." Bryant sighed smiling."

Though they laughed about it now, Bryant coincidentally never found himself on Buck's team again.

Writer's comments:

Keep the commentary coming! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the favorites and support!


	3. Chapter 2: War Room

The men finished laughing and continued down the hall. As they reached the end of the corridor, smiles dropped, postures straightened and silence fell over them. Men bustled about running to various battle stations in preparation for the upcoming invasion. Tremors from plasma blasts and the echoes of the MAC gun shook the station.

Buck took the lead placing his hand on a small blue screen that protruded from the tactical room's thick door.

"ID Confirmed: Edward Buck"

Adrian and Bryant followed suit.

"ID Confirmed: Michael Bryant."

"ID Confirmed: Adrian Thomas. Access Denied"

"What? I was told to report he.." Adrian began.

A radio transmission interrupted.

"Adrian Thomas please report to Room 439 for briefing."

"I am to report here under orders by Lord Hood." Adrian protested.

"Lord Hood sent the request himself, now if you please. We don't have time for this." the radio argued back.

"Very well. Gentlemen." Adrian nodded to the two men and departed.

The door slid open and a large screen displayed the Covenant cruiser while several smaller screens broadcasted footage of the infantry invasion. In the center of the room stood Lord Hood, Fleet Admiral of the UNSC. Bryant and Buck greeted the Admiral with a firm salute.

"At ease Troopers," the commanding officer said without turning. He followed the order with a long sigh.

"Today is a day that we have long prepared for but hoped would never come. Humanity has lost world after to the Covenant. Billions dead. Heartless bastards."

The admiral turned to face the two men.

"...but now they've found Earth and if they manage to..nothing will be the same."

He placed a hand on each of the Troopers' shoulders and lowered his voice.

"Don't let them take her from us. Not this time."

"Not a chance in hell sir." Buck replied.

"Sir, no sir." Bryant followed.

Lord Hood turned back to the screens and took his stance as fleet admiral.

"Glad to hear it. I know you're up to the challenge. Today we test the true strength of the ODSTs. Are you..

A crash shook the station. One of the few men facing various monitors around the room spoke up.

"Another boarding party, light infantry, responders already on site."

Lord Hood tried to begin again, but was interrupted by two more arrivals. A woman entered from the same door Bryant and Buck had and another appeared on one of the large screens in the room on the deck of the ship In Amber Clad. The former was outfitted in full ODST combat gear and carried a strange looking helmet that Bryant had never seen before. She stood a few inches shorter than Buck and had her blonde hair tied back in a small ponytail. Buck stiffened at the sight of her. She had a sarcastic confidence to her and also clearly noticed Buck's not-so-subtle shift.

Bryant recognized the other from the recent awards ceremony. She was the daughter of the late Captain Keyes, a war hero in the recent struggles against the Covenant. Bryant had served under him when he was still a Marine although he'd not seen him in the events leading up to his death. He was a tough son of a bitch. Bryant couldn't imagine what could have taken him out. His daughter, who's first name escaped Bryant, had accepted his awards on his behalf along with several accolades of her own. She wore her short brown hair down and had just finished buttoning up her grey suit. She'd clearly had to change from her Navy suit to this attire in a short time.

"I already have a squad on the most recent boarding party." The woman on screen reassured the admiral.

"Let me introduce Captain Veronica Dare and Commander Miranda Keyes. They'll be leading the current mission. Godspeed Helljumpers.

The specifics of the plan left Buck wide-eyed and mouth on the floor, while Bryant agreed that the plan was insane, he also had to do his best to hide his excitement. This would be a drop like no other. Though she did her best, Bryant could detect anticipation in Commander Keyes' eyes as well.

As the lecture came to a close, a transmission cut through the noise. Cortana materialized on a nearby terminal. With the update of a new weakness in the enemy's main ship, Commander Keyes spoke up,

"Cairo, this is In Amber Clad. The carrier's shield is down. I'm in position and ready for immediate assault."

Lord Hood replied, "Negative Commander. Not against a ship that size. Not on your own."

"Sorry to interrupt sir, but you're gonna wanna hear this one." Cortana interjected.

A radio broadcast came through the main speaker.

"Sir permission to leave the station?" A strong and deep voice said.

"For what reason Master Chief?" The admiral inquired.

"To give the Covenant back their bomb." The voice responded

"...Permission granted." The admiral said not smiling, but visibly satisfied.

The radio transmission cut.

"I'm going with him." Cortana said.

"Go." The admiral began, but Cortana had already begun to fade away. The last thing she did before completely disappearing was wink in Bryant's direction.

Damn Spartans. Always showing off.

Bryant chuckled to himself lightly. If anyone was born for the spotlight, it was that guy. Bryant wasn't particularly fond of Spartans, controversy and conflict seemed to surround them, even off the battlefield. He'd heard of their incredible accomplishments though, and was glad they were on the right side. Heroes were in high demand these days.

Lord Hood turned to Commander Keyes, "I want you on his landing coordinates yesterday."

Miranda had already begun to walk toward the door. "We've already got them locked. Johnson! Strap in! We've got a package to pick up!"

"Yes ma'am." The voice came from the same screen the commander had spoken from. Bryant hadn't even noticed one of the most decorated sergeants in the UNSC on screen, leaning against the back wall, smoking one of his iconic thick cigars. Bryant had always wondered how he seemed to have a near endless supply on hand, considering the constant space travel. If they'd been in the same room, and under better circumstances, Bryant would've asked for a picture. The sergeant stepped forward blowing out a a massive cloud of smoke.

"Damn it Johnson how many times do I have to tell you to put that thing out while you're offworld."

"Sorry sir, had 'em imported from Cuba. Seemed like a good time considering."

"Save me one..for after." Lord Hood admitted.

"...And Miranda tell those Longswords to make sure their cameras are rolling. The world needs to see this."

Miranda shot off one last, "Yes sir." before the screen reverted back to various battle updates.

Buck turned to Bryant and the two clasped hands.

"Give 'em hell B."

"Good luck Gunny, give Romeo my best." Bryant replied with a wink.

Buck rolled his eyes and walked away with Captain Dare.

The last thing Bryant heard from Buck before the door shut behind him was his famous battle cry to Alpha 9.

"You know the music, time to dance!"

Lord Hood approached Bryant.

"This op is to remain covert. We set the bar high son, don't disappoint."


End file.
